Method of sizing curved stereotype printing-plates and apparatus therefor.



H. A. w. W000.

METHOD OF SIZING CURVED STEREOTYPE PRINTING PLATES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR;

APPLICATION FILED DEL}. I0; 1914.

Patented Apr. 6,1915.

fizz/012751. 1 flllg/A. MSEWMZ shd www the plates finally U TE ST HENRY A. WISE WOOD, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'ro woon NEWSPAPER MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A GQRPOBATION OF VIR- GINIA.

METHOD OF SIZING CURVED STEREOTYPE PRINTING-PLATES AND APPARATUS I THEREFOR. I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY A. WISE WOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have inventeda new and useful Method of Sizing Curved Stereotype Printing-Plates and Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the method of and machine for cooling curved stereotype plates set forth in my application for Patent Serial No..557,107 filed April 23, 1910, machine for cooling stereotype plates.

The principal object of this invention 13 to combine with the method of cooling set forth in said patent a method of bringing to a definite and uniform curvature, which will work accurately with-. out minute supervision.

The invention also includes the mechanism for accomplishing these results.

Further features of the invention will ap pear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of a gravity coolingand sizing device constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the plate in its initial position in the cooling device; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1 showing the plate in its contracted position; Fig. 5 is a plan similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified construction having a horizontal runway; and Fig. 6 is asectional view of the same on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

When curved stereotype printing plates are introduced into the finishing mechanism they usually retain a large part of the heat which they have had by reason of being cast from molten metal. They are clamped in the finishing mechanism and shaved out on the interior as well as being machined in other places and this tends to heat up the plates still further but not in a uniform manner. when so clamped, of course, they are prevented from changing their size or shape-by contraction or expansion. In my above mentioned application for patent I have set forth a method of cooling such plates by which their interior surfaces are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Application filed December 10, 1914. Serial No. 876,497.

cooled by water running on them directly without wetting the printing face. In carrying out that method "I havefound that the plates do not leave the cooling mechanism in an I absolutely uniformcondition as to diameter. dipped by. hand for the purpose of cooling are open to the same difliculty, whichis a serious one because the plates must fit the printing cylinders with extreme accuracy. I have observed that if a plate is cooled only at its convex surface, its circle will open up in response to the chilling and contraction whichtakesplace first on the cooled side. Furthermore, if it is cooled simultaneously on both sides it will fairly well retain its original diameter, but there will Furthermore, plates that .are

be variations in curvature depending upon.

whether the water reaches the outside first. or last, and upon the relative amounts of V water used on the two sides.

when a plate is wet simultaneouslyv uponv both sides there are factors of variability due to the variations in the relative chilling In other words,

effects of the water upon its two sides.

These affect its final curvature and render the results of previous methods uncertain. For the purpose of obviating these difiicul ties the variations .areprevented according to the present invention by placing the plates above mentioned patent, thereby contracting the plate so as to bring its edges into con-' tact with the above mentioned surfaces. In other words, these surfaces limit the contraction of the plates and the latter are consurfaces adapted to engage the inner tracted until their inner edges come to a j definite distance apart. The plate is allowed to'remain incontact with the sizing means until practically all the heat has left it.

Then themvention is applied to a gravity cooler the plate is cooled upon an inclined runway down which it is free to 1 move bygravity as usual. Upon the water being applied to its interior while the plate is moving down the runway the plate contracts and its edges draw together suddenly, that is to say, in a space of time of about one second. In this way the edges of the plate come into contact with the sizing surfaces and hold the plate in that position as long as it continues to cool on account of the cooling water. But when the plate has attained a substantially uniform and much lowered temperature throughout its entire area I find that the contracting tension relaxes slightly Thus the plate loses its grip on the sizing surfaces and it is free to slide down the runway by gravity to delivering position. This is the only alteration which takes place in the sizing of the plate so far as I am able to observe after it has been sized in this manner. In this way it will be seen that the necessity of providing means for stopping and starting the plate is avoided, the only thing necessarybeing to provide either a continuous water supply or to provide automatic means if desired for turning the water on when the plate comes substantially into position to receive it and turn it off as the plate leaves this position. These later features, however, are not a part of this invention and therefore no means is shown for turning the water on or off.

Referring now to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 to it will be seen that the inven tion is shown in these figures as applied to a gravity cooling machine which may be and preferably is, a part of the gravity shaving machine, although the shaving machine is not shown herein. The machine is shown as comprising a frame 10 having an inclined top provided with an inclined runway formed by rollers 11 arranged on horizontal axes and supported by the frame. The line of rollers is on a continuous incline from the top of the machine to the lower end. In the present instance each of these rollers is provided with a flange 12 on its inner end which has an important function as will appear. Located between these rollers is a fixed saddle 13 over which the plates move as they travel down the runway. This saddle is shown, as in my above mentioned patent, as of a hollow semi-cylindrical form connected with a source of water supply by means of a series of pipes 14. The outer convex surface of the saddle is provided with perforations 15 and with a series of riiHe grooves 16 over which the water discharged from the inside through the perforations 15 runs in continuous unbroken streams-without producing a spray. In this way the water does not touch the printing surfaces.

The effect of the water in cooling the plate is to engage the concave surface of the plate and thus cause the plate to contract. Its curvature is thus lessened immediately so that the edgesof the plate which rest on the rollers come nearer each other and engage the flanges 12 thereof. These flanges are located at an exact and predetermined distance apart. This distance is equal to the desired inside diameter of the plate, and is measured from the outer side of the flange on one side to the outer side of the flange on the other side. In this way the plate is allowed to contract until it engages these flanges, when it is held firmly. Obviously the rollers are likewise held from rotation so that the plate cannot move along farther at this time. N o matter how much more the plate would contract if left free to do so, it is clear that the contraction is thus positively limited. As the heat leaves the plate, being conveyed away by the water,,the plate gradually assumes a uniform temperature throughout so that its exterior and interior surfaces eventually come to the same temperature. This results in relaxing the tension on the straight edges of the plate and in practice as soon as the plate is properly cooled the edges relax sufficiently to allow the rollers to rotate and the plate to slide down the rest of the runway I have found in practice that after the plate has been sized in this way and then slightly relaxed, no further appreciable changes in the size and shape of the plate occur, and

that it is left in the condition in which it is desired. In other words, it has the desired internal diameter and all the plates subjected to this action come out permanently of a uniform size so that they will fit the printing cylinders.

It will be understood, of course, that various shaving, trimming and. other finishing means as well as drying means, if desired, can be employed with this machine and in addition to the steps of the method set forth herein. These are not shown herein as they do not constitute a part of this particular invention.

Referring now to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 that the frame 10 is provided with plain rollers 11 for supporting the printing plate, and that the saddle 13 is located between them as before, but now the plate is free to move on the rollers toward the sides of the saddle. In this case the sides of the saddle itself are located at a proper distance apart to size the plate and the plate contracts against these sides, the effect being the same as in the other case. In this case the runway is shown as horizontal and the plate is moved on by hand or power until the plate grips the saddle on account of the cooling action. l/Vhen it is freed from it it is drawn or moved farther along in the same way.

I do not herein claim the method of, or apparatus for, cooling, independent of the sizing, as that is claimed in my above identified application.

In both forms shown the plate can be by gravity.

and 6, it will be seen stopped and started by mechanism if desired. For example, that shown in my previous British Patent 22,419, Oct. 10, 1906, can be used.

Although I have illustrated and described only two forms of the invention and shown the same asapplied only to a single type of machine, I am aware of the fact that many modifications can be made therein and that it can be applied to many other types of machines and that the method can be carried out with some modifications in the order of steps without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited in these respects, but

WVhat I do claim is 2- 1. A method of cooling a curved stereo type printing plate which consists in placing said plate on a support located between the interior surfaces of the straight edges there of, applying a cooling fluid to the interior concave surface of the plate to cool the plate and contract it until its straight edges engage said support, whereby the interior of the plate will be contracted substantially to a fixed dimension.

2. A method of cooling a curved stereotype printing plate, which consists in applying said plate to a support located between the inner surfaces of the straight edges of the plate, applying a cooling fluid throughout the concave surface of the plate, and protecting the convex printing surface of the plate from contact with the cooling fluid, whereby the plate will contract substantially against said support. 7

3. The method of cooling and sizing a curved stereotype printing plate, which consists in supporting the plate on its straight edges with opposite sizing surfaces inside the straight edges of the plate, cooling the interior concave surface of the plate to cause it to contract against said surfaces to bring the interior diameter to a predetermined length, and continuing said cooling until the plate is cooled throughout and relaxes so as to cease to grip said surfaces, whereby the plate will be free to be removed. 7

l. The method of feeding, cooling and siz- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the ing a curved stereotype printing plate, which consists in feeding it down an inclined runway, cooling its interior surface to cause it to contract and grip the runway so as to arrest its progress down the incline, and continuing the interior cooling, whereby when the plate becomes chilled throughout, its grip on the runway-will ease up and leave the plate free to move down by gravity.

5. The combination of a runway for curved stereotype printing plates, means for cooling the concave surface of a plate while on the runway, and means for limiting the contraction of the plate.-

6. The combination of a runway for curved stereotype printing plates, means for cooling the concave surface of a plate while on the runway, and means for positively limiting the contraction of the plate while on the runway and maintaining the plate at a definite size throughout the cooling operation.

7. The combination with a series of rollers for supporting the straight edges of a curved stereotype printing plate, said rollers having flanges on their inner ends, of means for cooling the interior surface of a plate when resting on said rollers to first cause the plate to contract and its edges to engage said flanges for the purpose of limiting the internal diameter, and thereafter relax to release it therefrom.

- 8. The combination of two parallel series of rollers for supporting the straight edges of a curved stereotype printing plate, said rollers having flanges, the outer edges of which are at a distance apart equal to the desired internal diameter of the plate, and means for cooling the plate on the interior only to cause the edges of the plate to contract against said flanges and size the plate against them.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. WISE "WOOD.

Witnesses:

STAFFORD HENDRIX, A. M. Bnnssme.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

